 Poster: A snowHead
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Can anyone help with this please?
We take a UK registered car to France in December and bring it back in May, but have been unable to find a UK insurer who will cover the car properly for the full 5 months.
Not sure whether there's a possibility to insure for 7 months in the UK and then a seperate 5 months (perhaps with another insurer) in France - or whether the year needs to be covered by one insurer?
At this point I'm reluctant to buy a car in France and leave it there all year.
No one seems able to answer this as it doesn't fit into a nicely defined 'box', so I'm wondering if anyone has tried anything similar . . . ?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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ww166no, try Stuart Collins as there is no upper limit on days the car can be out of the country for. I think there are a couple of other insurers who cover for 180 days and who might be more competitive if you only need this level of cover. I'll check with the other half and post up the details if he remembers them. One might have been Liverpool & Victoria?
http://www.stuartcollins.com
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Have you tried LV? They do a policy that allows an extended period in Europe, or they did when we did our season.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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juliad, Thanks for that, I'll give them a try. Any further alternatives would be appreciated as 180 days will easily cover our needs.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You can forget the Insuring in England then in France scenario. You can in theory only insure the car in the country of registration. So in this case the UK
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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jafa, noted.
Looks like LV and stuartcollins will be a good start - Thanks Annie too.
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Can't help with the original question, but you *can* insure a car with foreign plates. Think they do the insurance against the VIN (surely they do anyway?) rather then the Reg.No.
Colleague did exactly that with a Dutch registered car in UK, then re-registered it much much later when he came to sell (might have been at the 1-2 year deadline when I thought you were supposed to re-register car anyway).
Maybe the French don't allow it?
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ww166no, have checked and it was definitely LV who was the most competitive insurer if you only needed the 180 day cover.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Must be plenty of UK car owners in France who insure their cars there. I know they are meant to re-register them with French authorities, but many don't.
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Make sure to get specific confirmation, in writing, from the company about your cover. I took a policy solely on the basis of its allowing long periods in France - was assured by idiot boy in call centre. But then I discovered (when I checked again, on renewal) that although it allowed 180 days, or whatever, it didn't allow more than X days (a lot fewer) in any one trip.
Hells Bells, those people might be taking a bit of risk. If they are in an accident in France, and breaking French law by not having registered their cars in France, it would add to the inevitable messiness of an accident and insurance claims.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I had an Alfa-Süd Ti insured (with Credit-Mutuelle I think) in France with UK plates when I was at uni in Strasbourg for 2 years. No problem whatsoever, especially as there was no MOT equivalent.  The probelms arose when I bought it back into England until I pointed to my insurance sticker on the windscreen. I did have to have it MOT'd within a month of coming back beofre I could take out insurance in the UK again.
Here in Germany I was covered once I had the German equivalent to the MOT even though I had English plates. I had to reregister the car after 6 months though, getting German plates. and was promptly caught in 3 speed traps that i had previously blithly wave my way through! Poetic justice I suppose.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Just checked with DVLA for clarification(being in Insurance myself things do change).
The only way as I stated earlier can you insure a vehicle in the Uk is if the vehicle is taxed and registered in the Uk. You cant insure a non UK registered vehicle on the VIN. You can have a cover note issued to have it regstered coming through customs and to get it re registered at a local DVLA office. But the insurance companies themselves cant issue certificates on foreign registered cars. The set up for the registration numbers doesnt work. Ive just tried it on our quoting system, it just comes up with wrong format. The covernote is usually only for 30 days anyway.
Stuart Collins on the otherhand have a specific scheme underwritten by Axa to give cover to UK registered vehicles for 365 days of the year being out of the country. But then you have to comply with the local rules in place in the country abroad. I know Austria is tightening up on foreign registered vehicles staying in the country permanently.
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| pam w wrote: |
| Make sure to get specific confirmation, in writing, from the company about your cover. I took a policy solely on the basis of its allowing long periods in France - was assured by idiot boy in call centre. But then I discovered (when I checked again, on renewal) that although it allowed 180 days, or whatever, it didn't allow more than X days (a lot fewer) in any one trip.. |
Good point
My specific requirement is for 5 continuous months no more no less - so no worries about becoming a permanent emplacement, but equally the single-trip-limit point above is very relevant. Will definitely check this!
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You know it makes sense.
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Just checked my LV policy and it explicitly says "180 consecutive days" cover for "EU and other" countries.
On the schedule they list the individual countries: EU plus Andorra, Croatia, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, but oddly enough not Lichtenstein (which we drove through last year). Monaco, San Marino, nor Vatican City.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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ww166no, another vote for LV (and no before you ask I have not just recovered from a coma, I've just been busy).
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Poster: A snowHead
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midgetbiker, you've been in a coma for so long already. No reason you should wake up today! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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i love snowheads! we're going away and i've been burying my head in the sand about sorting out the car insurance, along with ringing up the car loan people to check they will let me take it, and will it be safe in a car park, (dreading the insurance premium on that one), and is it really ok with the mairie that i just needed to go to the school and everything is fine....
maria.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| jafa wrote: |
| You can forget the Insuring in England then in France scenario. You can in theory only insure the car in the country of registration. So in this case the UK |
MrsFS has had this problem for the last two years as she's taken our car over for the season. Our existing insurers will allow up to 120 days in Europe and quotes from both LV and Stuart Collins were prohibitively expensive.
She did exactly what jafa says can't be done - she insured locally in France for the extra 6 weeks she needed, which ran from day 121 of the trip as what you can't do is double insure a risk. The French insurer contacted her UK insurer to confirm that they had commenced the policy.
It cost around 120 euros for 6 weeks, but was still much cheaper than the other options.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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FlyingStantoni, Interesting - care to share the name of the helpful French insurer?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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just checked my insurance (for unrelated reasons) and find that although branded Nationwide it is actually provided by LV. It was a competitive quote. Provides cover up to 180 days.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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another vote for LV.
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Try NFU Mutual, they were fantastic when we did our first season.
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cran
cran
Guest
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I have LV, 180 days per trip...
I'm on about 250 days atm, so should probably go back to the UK for a day... 
But the renewal was in Feb, and I'm not sure if the 180 days restarts at policy renewal date...
Not really too worried as you still have 3rd party cover after 180 days, so it is still legal.
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ww166no, there you go, the answer was right under your nose 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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ww166no, Axa at the French end. I'll check at the UK end.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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You may not qualify - but SAGA offer what you want. I have used them for the last few seasons after discovering my existing policy was limited in the number of days and was only third party as standard.
From their website - Our Comprehensive car insurance includes benefits that many insurers do not offer as standard or for which they may charge you extra. For example:
If you take your car abroad, Saga automatically includes cover in the European Union at no extra cost and for an unlimited period
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You know it makes sense.
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Saga covers you for the same cover in any other member country of the European Union, Andorra, Iceland, Norway, Croatia and Switzerland. At least that is what it says on the back of my insurance certificate. We have comprehensive cover and the cover seems good but I have not had to make a claim on it yet.
One of the few benefits of reaching 50.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Slightly off subject but does anybody know of any good deals on breakdown recovery insurance.
Just had my renewal quote through, it was with MORE TH>N but they have transferred the administration to Europ Assistance and the premium for roadside, recovery and European assistance is £75.
Seems OK to me but does that seem reasonable compared to other providers?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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hi
i've tried nfu mutual this morning, and all looked rosy, till the confirmation call when they checked with the underwriters and their policy is only for holidays of a couple of weeks or so. Can't see anywhere where it says this, and the first person i spoke to was happy to insure for up to 6 months away. confused, and not liking car insurance. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Your experience is aboslutely typical of buying Insurance through anywhere other then an Insurance Broker.
You cannot Insure an English registered car legally in France and vice versa in this country. They will take your money off you, but has anyone actually done it in France for example, had a claim, and got paid out. If they have all well and good. Id be surprised. A small knock maybe, but a big Liability claim, think again.
Everyone that has said LV for example, tell them you are living permanently abroad for the 5/6 months in the Winter and they will no quote. I tried it a couple of days ago. These policies are designed for the regular traveller abroad, not living permanently.
The only company is Stuart Collins. And No I dont work for them. A specific policy thru Axa.
There is a company in England called Day Insure who will do short term Insurance on vehicles already Insured elsewhere, maybe there is an equvelant company in France, but you wont get a standard 12 month policy over there. (again you might where they take your money...........)
A quick call to DVLA will tell you that. If you are driving in this country on a foreign plated vehicle its the law to have it changed and re registered I think before the 6 month period, but you still have your car insured in the country of registration until the change.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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ww166no, You can ( or at least could the last time we did it about 5 years ago) insure a British registered car in France - I have a friend who still claims to do exactly that but I don't check his insurance certificates. It is also quite usual for cover to other EC countries as so many folks necessarily cross borders .
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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jafa, and yes --- my better half has had an accident (or two) and had payouts from the French insurer under a French policy on a Uk-registered car in France.
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[quote="ww166no"][quote="graywiggle"]hi
then how can this also be true:
| Quote: |
| The only company is Stuart Collins. And No I dont work for them. A specific policy thru Axa. |
They do policies for English registered cars registered at an address in the UK with no restictions on 365 days abroad. They dont do policies for foreign cars in the UK
Im saying I know of no company in the Uk that would insure a non Uk registered car under a UK Insurance policy.
Finally 5 years ago is along time in the Insurance world. Try it today and see what happens. As I said, Im sure there are people out there that will take the money, but try and claim. They may do the initial cover under the VIN maybe, and never change it across to the registration number plate, in other words just keep issuing cover notes.
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Just found this, it may be enlightning for some!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=762658
For some who cant be bothered with the link, heres one reply.
To answer the OP's question....... You have to begin the process of immatriculation within one month of becoming a resident in France. I have lived here for over ten years and it is very clear that some expat Brits feel they are above the law. Take a journey on the back roads anywhere in the ghetto areas of Brittany and you will find properties with several vehicles, (mostly 4x4s that are cheaply available in UK because of high road taxation), still on UK plates after many years, and also sporting no up to date MOT. They sometimes have a French insurance sticker because it is generally easy to get cover (supposedly for a limited time to allow the registration process) but in the event of an accident the insurance companies do what insurance companies do, and look for an excuse to not pay out.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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More info from an Ex pat forum.
You see they actually think that a lot of Brits are above the local laws, by the discussions on here they are probably right. Id rather beleive information from people actually living in France than some people on here whio just peddle the same info because they know of someone who knows someone who has gotten away with it so far.
Being in Insurance, i can honestly say there are many ways of getting round most things in Insurance. But unfortunately, like everything else, when the time comes to claim on the pol;icy, and I mean really claim, suddenly the insurance Companies tell you there is a mistake and your not covered.
If you are driving on non UK plates, get the Insurance in the country its registered. If you are driving abroad on Uk plates and your car is in that country full time, you have to re register it in that country.
Quote:
Originally Posted by makmak
Just so that you know - when I got back to the UK, I couldn't get car insurance in the UK when you have insurance already in place but you have to register your car within 3 months in the UK - you cant really wander around with foreign plates indefinitely (its not enforced by the way - I've had the plates on for a while). But AXA wouldn't let me cancel the policy. They kept saying that I was covered by their policy but I am not entirely sure that was correct after three months unless I am wrong in that and French insurance does cover you indefinitely. In the UK your policy covers you only for three months.
For the record if you enter UK with the intention of staying permanently then technically you cannot drive your French registered car beyond the ferry gates !
http://www.mib.org.uk/Customer+Servi...n+vehicles.htm
In practice you can get away with driving to your UK destination but after that you should park the car up on private property and not drive it again until it is UK registered.
There is no '3 months' grace period and it is enforced. You have to get stopped and found out of course but if you do remember the onus for proving anything you claim always lays with you, the police do not have to prove anything.
Just like UK insurance French insurance will cover the vehicle at a basic 3rd party level for the duration of the policy but that said there is nothing to prevent you taking out UK insurance for it, as indeed you must in order to register it. Many have trod this path before you without difficulty.
To cancel your French insurance just send them a completed Déclaration de cession d'un véhicule naming someone in UK as the buyer.
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jafa, It can't be true ... or our insurance company both times was unreasonably kind .. given that isn't a trait of any insurance company I know then I suspect that out is (at least was) very practical option.
All you have to do to avoid immatriculation is take out of the company regularly i.e. its isn't 'permanent' .. and who trust forums anyway?
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FAQ
) and renewal is due in the next week or so: 120 days is plenty for me 
